Tolerance cannot be measured in terms of degrees of intolerance. I am essentially opposed to burning books even when they incite others to violence. But freedom is either an absolute or it is conditioned on not inciting others to violence. Anything else is rationalized bigotry.

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Sunday, February 5, 2012

Israel & the Winds of War

The Winds of War blow throughout the Near East and as always many will attempt to entice us into thinking that Israel is somehow to blame. The New York Times in an editorial a couple of days ago tells its readers that now is not the time for Israel to attack Iran and that sanctions must be given more time. How convenient it is that we all forget the previous sanctions regime. The world imposed sanctions on Iraq for a decade leading up to the Second Gulf War in 2003. Russia and France earned $100 billion by exploiting that sanctions regime. The only effect this embargo had was to ensure the Iraqi people suffered. On the other hand, in Iraq, those in power felt no pain. The New York Times is militantly assimilationist, at least with reference to Jewish self-identification. While it has no problem with other nations or other peoples’ self-identification it will always be opposed to Israel’s existence as a Jewish entity. Therefore, NYT editorial pleas for self-control will always be tainted by self-interest rather than honest analysis.

Leon Panetta is the current US Secretary of Defense. In comments attributed to him in the Washington Post on the Second of February (which pointedly, he did not deny), it was reported that he believes Israel will attack Iran sometime between April and June 2012. Israel’s head of military intelligence Aviv Kochavi reported that some 200,000 missiles were aimed at Israel from Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Iran; and Iran's Defense Minister (Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi) claimed that Iran possesses 150,000 missiles ear-marked for destroying the Jewish state. While Europe quivers with fear and despair, it appears to be baffled as to what further it can do to prevent Israel from upsetting the balance of terror. But what Israel has missed from its so called allies is any publicly demonstrable evidence that they are capable of learning from the Shoah and therefore not standing idly by as Israel’s enemies talk up its downfall.

Politics dictates that voting at the UN is always pragmatic and therefore governed by apparent economic self-interest. This has rendered the UN a mouthpiece for global anti Semitic propaganda, to which Europe contributes its cash and its votes. And Europe then queries why Israel is unable to block out the racism and calls for genocide that bombard the Israeli public either from Iran or from any other Islamic leader.

I was recently taken to task for calling some on the Left and in the Islamic world ‘Nazis.’ There are specific traits to Nazism that are shared with other ideologies without labeling them as ‘Nazi’ but perhaps it is the cruelty, brutality and doctrine of extermination at the centre of the ideology that creates the ‘Nazi’ tag. Most, except the extreme Left, can stomach Jewish self-determination. Most on the Left have not internalized the deified bigotry of the proto-deity Marx. But Islam has a problem. Its holy book calls for global conquest and the physical annihilation of all those who stand in their way.

So when ayatollah Mohammad Ali Hoseyn Khamenei, the Iranian clergyman and supreme leader of Islamic Iran describes Israel in terms reminiscent of Hitler’s Germany and the world ignores it, Israel, the physical state and Israel, the people, would be remarkably stupid not to pay attention either to the bile excreted from the lips of the most influential and senior political and religious leader in Iran today just as it would be naïve to not take note of the global lack of any reaction to the Iranian leaders latest speech. And when the Palestinian Mufti (its senior religious leader), Muhammad Hussein, calls on all Muslims to kill (all) Jews, as he did in Ramallah two weeks ago, it would be suicidal for Israel not to react. His excuse that the quote was taken out of context; that he was quoting the Prophet Mohammad, is unacceptable to all reasonable human beings save those whose agenda cannot be trusted. The Palestinian Minister for Religious Affairs has added that “no man has authority to dispute or alter” the words of the prophet. That these statements were broadcast on the official Palestinian TV cannot help with peace making.

The only relevance that the authority of these words may have is to strengthen the hand of those who say that the difference between Mein Kampf and the Koran is authorship, not intent. What both books do share is the desire for global domination by one nation or one people, the expression of racial purity by its adherents, justification for genocide as a means to furthering their ends and, the achievement of an end by absolute submission to the worship of a human being. This is why Germany today bans cults (the logic could extend to banning any faith based on such an ideology).

Israel must not display tolerance towards Islamic Nazism. The bigots may quote who they will but Israel must act against them to hold them and their evil theology to account. The reaction of Israel’s allies when they justify evil pronounced or committed against her can only be interpreted as giving comfort to Israel’s and to the Jewish peoples existential enemies.

Israel neither has another decade to appease the New York Times nor the patience to listen to the platitudes of European appeasement.

2 comments:

How I agree with you. !!!! I go on about the same stuff to my friends Jew and non-non Jew alike and they think that I am scare-mongering .I end up saying ."When someone says they want to destroy you , you take heed and act. Remember last time when the world didn't listen"